


Days 19 and 26

by marvel_onomus



Series: A month of whump 2020 [15]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Irondad, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, amow 2020, whumpmonth 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24011491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvel_onomus/pseuds/marvel_onomus
Summary: Peter shook his head to clear it, making his way back to his apartment door. He swung it open, carelessly plopping down his school bag like he always did and turning to rifle through the fridge for a snack, only to find himself face to face with-“Uncle Ben!” Peter threw his arms around his uncle, who ruffled his hair in return, chuckling fondly.“Missed you too, Pete. I’m just grateful that they let me off my work trip early.”Uncle Ben’s voice sounded exactly like Peter remembered, and he felt a sharp pang of grief echo in his chest.Wait, remembered? And Ben was right in front of him, why would he be mourning?
Relationships: Ben Parker & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: A month of whump 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729459
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	1. Tempted

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all! This was written for the month of whump challenge that can be found on my tumblr @marvel-ous-shitposts under the tags #whumpmonth 2020, and #amow 2020. I wrote them in April, and am posting them here now that they're all finished.

Peter was out as Spider-Man when it happened, checking on what was most likely a prank by Flash. He’d come into school that day rambling about the “zombies” that were wandering into some abandoned building in Queens, probably just trying to impress the class with his spooky story.  
Still, Peter liked to be thorough, so after Flash finished derailing what was supposed to be a decathlon meeting with his seventh, and most dramatic, iteration of the original story, Peter slipped away to check it out.   
He’d approached the building, growing more and more uneasy until there was a bright flash of light and-

Peter was walking home from school when it happened.   
Wait, when what happened? That wasn’t right.   
Peter was walking home from school. He traipsed up the apartment building stairs, some strange energy buzzing in his limbs that he needed to get out.   
By the time he’d made it up the six flights, the feeling was gone, and he had to pause before he opened the door to the hall, wheezing for air, which didn’t make sense, because he- did it make sense?   
He thought about it for a second, leaning against the wall for support. He never was very athletic. What was he thinking about again?  
Peter shook his head to clear it, making his way back to his apartment door. He swung it open, carelessly plopping down his school bag like he always did and turning to rifle through the fridge for a snack, only to find himself face to face with-  
“Uncle Ben!” Peter threw his arms around his uncle, who ruffled his hair in return, chuckling fondly.   
“Missed you too, Pete. I’m just grateful that they let me off my work trip early.”  
Uncle Ben’s voice sounded exactly like Peter remembered, and he felt a sharp pang of grief echo in his chest.   
Wait, remembered? And Ben was right in front of him, why would he be mourning-  
The back of his neck pricked painfully and he stumbled backward, his mind screaming at him to run. It was a familiar sensation, and for a split second his mind supplied him with the word _Spidey-senses_ , but that was complete gibberish. He shook his head again, everything was getting so muddled.  
“Peter?”  
 _Blood was coating Peter’s hands as he sobbed, desperately trying to save him, begging him not to go._  
“Peter? Hey, buddy, look at me, Peter.” Ben grabbed Peter’s shoulder, steadying him. Peter blinked, taking in his uncle’s face, solid and real. He frowned, glancing around the kitchen. It didn’t look any different, but something still felt off.   
“You back with me, Pete?”  
Peter nodded dazedly. His head was starting to hurt, a strange migraine-like pain that radiated dully from the base of his neck.   
Ben smiled patiently, maneuvering Peter over to a kitchen chair. He sat down beside Peter, keeping his hand on Peter’s shoulder.   
“Do you think you need to go back and talk to Dr. Cho again, bud?”  
Peter’s frown deepened. He recognized the name, but something about it sounded off in a way he couldn’t place. He stared down at his hands, half expecting to find them covered in blood.   
“It’s okay if you don’t, but _you need to fight this, kid.”_  
Peter snapped his head up, ignoring the pain that was trickling further down his spine. He gaped as he struggled to reconcile what he was seeing that voice at the end of the sentence. It was definitely not Ben’s, but it was so familiar.  
“What did you say?”  
Concern settled further into Ben’s expression. He leaned forward, resting the back of his hand on Peter’s forehead. “Are you, feeling okay, Peter? I said-“

_“We’re losing him-“ bright light pierced through Peter’s eyes, burning into his skull._   
_“Goddamnit, Peter, you have to fight it. You’re strong, kid, you can beat this.”_

  
Peter woke up in his bed.   
“Well, there’s the sleeping beauty.” Despite the jokey tone, Ben’s voice still sounded concerned. “Are you feeling any better?”  
Peter shook his head, the throbbing pain was only getting worse. “No-”  
 _His uncle’s shirt soaked in blood._  
 _The police station. Aunt May sobbing. The funeral._  
 _Spider-Man._  
“No.” Peter scrubbed at his eyes, trying to get rid of the burning pain that was spreading through his entire body. “This isn’t right. Ben isn’t- you’re dead.”  
His uncle smiled at him, malice gleaming in his eyes as his face morphed, stretching unnaturally.   
“No, Peter Parker, _Ben_ is dead. And so, it seems, are you.”


	2. Infected

Peter’s skin burned, red and flushed as he lay unconscious on the gurney. Tony just stood beside him uselessly as Cho flitted around the both of them, barking things to her team that Tony wouldn’t have understood on a good day.   
The kid’s friend had called, the one that Tony called Ted to mess with Peter, an anxious determination in his voice.   
_“He left, um, he left decathlon an hour ago to check on some ghost story that Flash was telling about- well, it doesn’t matter, and, uh, it’s probably stupid, but he said he’d check back in thirty minutes and, well-“_  
Tony had seen Peter with almost every kind of injury, he’d seen the kid knocked out and bleeding, sporting broken bones or a concussion. But this time, when he found the kid after thanking Ned and abruptly hanging up, it was different. Peter had just been standing there, eyes closed, in the middle of the sidewalk. He didn’t even seem to notice that Tony was there.  
The kid whimpered from where he lay on the gurney, his head jerking to the side. Tony launched forward, desperate to do something, to save his kid, who was fighting off some vast unseen force that Tony couldn’t help with. Mindlessly, he carded his hand through the kid's sweaty curls, hoping that he could at least calm the kid down.   
Cho said something that Tony could barely process about someone, a villain named Mindworm and visions and Peter. He watched her mouth move, his brain trudging through her words.   
“-there have been a couple patients with similar symptoms, and basically it’s up to him now to fight it, Tony.”  
Tony looked down at the kid’s face, which was tense and feverish. He opened and closed his mouth, searching for something to say.  
Peter whimpered again, shaking his head deliriously and muttering “Spidey-senses”.  
“Peter?” Tony put his hand on the kid’s cheek, willing the kid to wake up.   
“No, ‘cle Ben.”  
Tony’s heart sank and he looked away from the kid, meeting eyes with Dr. Cho. She pressed her lips together sympathetically.   
“Keep talking to him, it might do some good.”  
Tony nodded, taking a deep breath before he turned back to Peter. With his free hand, he gently grabbed Peter’s, trying not to pay attention to how the kid’s skin burned.   
“Hey, bud, I don’t know if you can hear me, but you gotta hold on, okay? You need to fight this, kid.”  
Peter shifted ever so slightly towards him, and Tony almost dared to let himself hope that maybe it was working, maybe the kid could hear him.   
But then Peter spasmed, his body arching unnaturally. Tony froze in horror as the heart monitor beeped erratically and Cho rushed forward, shoving Tony out of the way.   
She injected something into Peter’s IV, shouting something Tony didn’t understand, and then “we’re losing him-“  
Tony stared at Peter, desperately needing to do something. He settled for talking, words tumbling out of his mouth before he could even finish his thoughts.   
“Goddamnit, Peter, you have to fight it. You’re strong, kid, you can beat this.”  
Slowly, the kid stilled. Cho kept hovering over him, ready to spring into action.   
Tony stepped forward, grabbing Peter’s hand again.   
“Come on, kid, I know you can fight this.”  
Tony wasn’t sure if he was lying.


End file.
